The 200% BMX Rider

04/07/21 • 52 min

Saya Sakakibara describes herself as 50% British, 50% Japanese and 100% Australian. Born in Japan, Saya started BMX racing from the age of just 4, following in her big brother's footsteps. Now, aged 22, she's one of the top ranked BMX riders in the world as has her eyes firmly set on Tokyo.
Saya talks us through the world of BMX, balancing her identity across her multiple nationalities, and the what life is like trying to qualify for an Olympic games in the middle of a global pandemic.
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Generously funded by the Toshiba Foundation

Previous Episode

I'm an athlete, not a patient

Wheelchair fencer Anri Sakurai joins us to talk about her incredible life so far. After surgery gone wrong left her wheelchair bound, she was forced out of her physiotherapy university course. After a chance meeting with a member of the national federation - Anri took us wheelchair fencing.
Fast-forward a few years and she's chasing gold at Tokyo, but standing in her way in Bebe Vio, the international superstar and reigning Paralympic champion, made famous through the rising phoenix documentary. To achieve this, Anri moved her life to the UK so she could train with the best coaches and partners.
Join us as we talk through navigating disability for the first time, moving your whole life across the world for your sport, and what Anri hopes 2020 can do for Japan's disabled population.

Next Episode

The Lost Games

Japan has an incredible Parasport history. Not particularly in medals - they're only 18th overall, but in the influence they have on Parasport events. They've hosted the longest running wheelchair marathon event in Oita and their coverage of the 1998 Nagano games was a great populariser of the Winter Paralympics.
But there's more, there are two games which are lost to popular and even institutional memory that Japan hosted. We're joined by Dennis Frost from Kalamazoo College in the US who talks us through the incredible Other Tokyo 1964 Games and The FESPIC Games . Two hugely influential events that are largely forgotten.
Dennis Frost: https://eas.kzoo.edu/about/people/
Check out Dennis' incredible Book More than Medals
Japan Sport Stories is hosted by Noel Thatcher and Mike Salter.
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We are proud partners with the Japan Research Centre at SOAS, University of London and generously funded by the Toshiba Foundation.